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TST Spooled Chain Adjusters – An Easier Way To Work On And Lift Your Honda Grom
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Want to skip to the good part and buy a set? Click here to snag a set of our all new TST Industries Spooled Captive Chain Adjusters for the Honda Grom.
As much as I love to rip around on the little 125cc Honda Grom, leaving nothing but power slide skids and childish giggles behind, I do have to perform regular maintenance and cleaning on it from time to time. It’s not the Groms fault, that comes with owning any motorcycle. It’s something we all deal with (some more than others…I’m looking at you BMW HP4 owners), and there’s no better way to work on your bike than it being safely secured in an upright position – kinda like your trays while landing an airplane, except this is actually important. This is why a rear swingarm stand is often one of the first accessories new motorcycle owners purchase. They enable you to lift the rear tire from the ground and work on your bike without the fear of it tipping over while making tasks like chain maintenance, wheel removals / install, cleaning, and even things like aftermarket part (hint hint) installations a much easier and safer task to perform.
So when the Honda Grom came out, introducing a whole new audience to the world of motorcycling and the fun times that come with it, we were saddened to realize that Grom owners were going to have to deal with the incredibly annoying, and oftentimes unsafe task of lifting the rear of their beloved Grom without the use of spools. Instead, they had to use pegged rear stands. We understood the manufacturing decision since the Grom is a budget bike, and that comes with the territory, but it’s still a frustrating fact of Grom ownership. That fact became infinitely worse once we got our very own Honda Grom to rip around the TST Headquarters. We threw the Grom up on a stand, shed a small tear, then proceeded to adjust the chain. That small tear turned into a fiery pit of rage that would fuel our future design work and the quest to correct the incredible disservice that Honda has done to the Grom. We and other fellow riders dealt with the stock chain adjusters falling out and rattling after adjustments for far too long. These two issues were so so annoying that we decided to rip out the stock chain adjuster and metaphorically slap them into oblivion.
Most problems can be solved by throwing some talented engineers at it, at least that’s been our winning solution so far, so we tossed a few at the problem to see what would happen. The best thing about this was that they had first hand experience…and rage…using the stock adjusters, so this was not like the other projects they were working on – this was a project fueled by pure hatred of the stock component.
The team set out to design something that would solve two problems: make adjusting the chain easier AND be able to lift the rear of the Grom using spools. They started with the stock adjusters, trying to see if there was anything to be learned from them, but as expected, they belonged in the garbage and were promptly (and aggressively) thrown into the nearest trash can.
They started from scratch and designed a unique chain adjuster that was unlike anything else on the market. It was easy to install, stayed captive so it wouldn’t fall out when you make adjustments, and had attached spools for easy rear stand usage. The precision engineering and CNC manufacturing process enabled the TST engineers to deliver an extremely high-quality product that solved the problems plaguing Grom owner, and looks amazing doing it, too. The adjustable axle block features precise guide marks so you ensure equal adjustments on both sides of the swingarm while the adjustment bolt on the captive swingarm plate provides 1mm of travel per full rotation for predictable and easy to measure movement. Perhaps the most appealing feature is the fact that this kit is captive, meaning that it doesn’t fall out or even come loose when you loosen the axle and adjust the chain. Gone are the days of the backplate falling out and you cursing like a sailor when trying to reinstall it. Personally, I’ve had a Grom for over 3 years and this kit has eliminated the single most frustrating thing about this bike.
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Each captive chain adjuster comes with a set of spools. That’s right, they aren’t an expensive add-on that will cost you a premium! Like I’ve stressed previously, we wanted to solve both problems, so a set of TST black anodized spools are included unless you upgrade to Womet-Tech anodized spools. The chain adjusters have even been designed to work with our popular TST Mini Bike Axle Sliders by ensuring that the spool placement provided enough room for a Pit Bull rear stand (and most others) to safely engage with the spools without axle slider interference, even at the maximum adjustable length.
By ripping those stock chain adjusters out of the Grom swingarm and slapping in some shiny new TST goodies, you can take your Grom to the next level (get it…because it lifts the rear of your bike…I’m here all week) and completely eliminate the frustration that was associated with adjusting your chain or using a rear swingarm stand. I know my neighbors are already happy about it because they don’t have to hear me viking scream expletives whenever I try to just tighten my chain a smidge.
Have questions about our new Spooled Captive Chain Adjusters? Check out the installation video below, drop a comment below, or contact our kickass support team.
